Johan Mõller – Oakdale Landbou captain
Player Profile
Oakdale Agricultural High School of Riversdale host Marlow of Cradock in a FNB Classic Clash on Saturday. Johan Mõller captains the hosts.
Nicolaas Johannes Mõller was born in Vereeniging (Gauteng) on 27 April 1988. His family moved south to farm in Riversdale when he was six and he attended the local primary school before graduating to Oakdale in Grade 8. He is currently in Grade 12 and is a school prefect. He lives at home on his parent’s farm but is one of only a few (about 30) day-boys at Oakdale where the majority of the 365 boys are boarders.
Johan has played eighthman his entire life but finds himself at lock for this important fixture. An injury to their regular lock left a gap in the pack and because of his superior weight Johan found himself thrust into the second row last week. Johan played eighthman for the South Western Districts team at Craven Week this year. He enjoyed the trip to the big city of Johannesburg and the week’s rugby, especially since he sat out the first game against the Lions, when South Western Districts got a hiding. He did say though that the trip north made him appreciate his home.
That said Johan intends studying a B.Com at Stellenbosch University next year and pursuing a career in business. Johan has two brothers, neither of whom is interested in farming, and his father is in the process of selling the farm.
Much like Oakdale old boy Pedrie Wannenburg, Johan is a strong and powerful No.8. Johan has spent much time in the gym developing the power to supplement his natural speed. Johan’s other strength is his ability to lead and he clearly enjoys the responsibility of captaining the team. Johan’s favourite player is the Australian David Lyons. Like Johan, Lyons is big, strong and quick and Johan admires the way Lyon’s approaches everything he does on the field.
Oakdale are reaching the end of what has been a very successful season for them. They have lost only three of their thirteen games. Two of those losses were to Paul Roos and Outeniqua, both ranked in the top five teams in South Africa this year. Johan’s best rugby memory is Oakdale’s 8-7 win over main rivals Boland Landbou last season. Oakdale had not beaten Boland for seven years. He rates their best performance to date this season their 12-3 loss to Paul Roos. Johan reckons Oakdale dominated the No.1 ranked school in the country for the majority of the game and lost the match only because of two silly mistakes.
Oakdale have a powerful pack all of whom, including the props, are very mobile and fit. They expect Marlow to be very physical and will use the good kickers of the ball they have in the backline to turn the Marlow forwards around and tire them out. Oakdale have lots of pace in the backs and two very good fetchers who will look to chase and exploit any mistakes Marlow may make at the back.
It has been raining buckets in Riversdale this week and Oakdale have been struggling to practise. They have only two games left this season, both Landbou derbies against Marlow and Boland in Wellington. Momentum and form are on their side and with the inspirational Johan Mõller leading them it would take a brave man to bet against Oakdale in either game.
For some information of Oakdale, click here.
